If you are here you are probably wandering what texturized hair is in the first place, you can find that out here. So while I strongly recommend texturized hair, just like anything there is always an advantage and a disadvantage. Today I am going to share some of the pros and cons of texturized hair which I have noticed over time.

I also have to add that if you do decide to texturize your hair here are some texturizers that worked for me.

CONS OF TEXTURIZED HAIR

Over processing is the first con of texturized hair, no matter how careful you are, a few pieces of your hair will be more processed than the others. There are measures you can take while texturizing your hair to greatly minimize over processing.

Next will have to be the fact that even though texturizers aren't as harsh as relaxers, you are still putting a chemical on your hair.

Next con for me will be the fact that you run the risk of getting your hair lighter, i. e if you do not go the extra mile of always using a neutralizing shampoo after you are done with your texturizer application to balance out the acidity you just applied to your locks. If you don't you will run the risk of getting your hair lighter than the natural color over time.

New growth, yes with texturized hair you have to deal with new growth, and even though it is easier to stretch out your next texturizer application because the both textures are so close, unlike when your hair is completely relaxed and you have totally different textures to work with. You will still find it a little harder to deal with your hair when your new growth becomes a lot.

You have to spend money to buy texturizers quarterly every year.

PROS OF TEXTURIZED HAIR

Your curls are looser and easier to manage.

You spend less money on products to maintain your hair, for instance my hair is 4c type and before I texturized my hair, I had to spend money on more expensive products just to help me properly detangle my hair but now many regular conditioners can easily detangle my hair, even the regular VO5 works great for me both as a regular conditioner and a deep conditioner on days when I can't afford a proper deep conditioner. But when I was completely natural, I used way more products both in terms of quality and quantity.

My styles aren't as stressful to achieve, because yes I still have curls but they aren't so tight, so basically I achieve good results still but without stressing too much.

Wash days take lesser time.

Detangling is easier and takes lesser time too because my curls aren't so tight.

So basically, I think so many people get super frustrated with their natural hair but still don't want to relax their hair, texturizing is a good alternative, trust me many people wouldn't even know the difference unless you tell them. It's just hair and yes you are to take care of it but you shouldn't be a slave to it.

If you decide to texturize your hair and you do it properly, it really shoudn't be such a big deal, and for me personally the pros are better than the cons but obviously it is just my opinion.Thank you so much for reading today's' blog post, please feel free to leave a comment, I will be more than happy to respond. Have a lovely day and week..xoxo.

So, welcome to another blog post, you can drop your email so you don't miss out on future blog post. Today we are going to discuss something very common and nothing to be ashamed of, we all didn't create ourselves. Knock knees are really common amongst tall people and people on the fatter side and while there are very minor ones which are barely noticeable there are others which are and those are mostly who this post are for.

Knowing to dress for your body type is important, while I am an advocate for people wearing what they want, the fact remains that knowing your body type and dressing accordingly helps you look better, and boasts your confidence more because you can cover up what you are not so comfortable with and extenuate what you really like about your body.

DOS AND DON'TS FOR DRESSING WITH KNOCK KNEE

DONT: Wear short things no matter how really tempting they are, especially those really short gowns and skirts. They have a way of shortening your legs and making your knock knees more obvious.

DO: Wear things instead that cover up your knees but still show some skin and sexiness, opt for midi and maxi dresses instead That hug you in the right places and whenever you want to show some skin you could wear the ones which have slits at the sides.

Personally, I prefer the slits being at the sides rather than the middle , it just looks better on knock knees. If you do insist on wearing really short things, I would say that shorts look better on knock knees than short skirts, they show off the full length of the top part of your legs better and if you have boots it makes your bottom appear wider there by balancing out your top part(If that makes any sense)

If you are on the taller side

If you aren't so tall and also good for tall people too.

DON'T:Wear leggings or pencil aka skinny jeans under any condition, just forget it. The whole purpose of leggings and skinny jeans is to show off your legs and extenuate it. If you still insist on wearing them just wear em with high waist boots that are really wide at the top.

DO: Opt for more wide legged pants, palazzos, boot cuts and straight pants rather than pants that are tight from the knee down.

Instead of showing off your legs when you wear these types of pants, show off something else.

Show off your flat belle and chiselled abs in a number like this, you can opt for a wide legged pant with a cropped top or brallet.

Even if you are on the fuller side and aren't comfortable showing off your belle, you could always wear a high waisted pant with some kind of body suit to show off your curve.

DO: Show off things instead about yourself that you love, weather it is a little cleavage or the smoothness of your skin with those off shoulder numbers.

DO: Accessorize, take the attention away from your legs with accessories and bold colors. Dare to wear bold pieces and colors.

I hope this helps someone, If you have any thing to add you could drop a comment and I will be happy to respond.

So I just made a post about natural hairstyles and I figured this will be a good follow up to that post. Natural hairstyles are cute and all but the wrong products could make your hair come out wrong and also make it not last as long as you want it to.

In today's blog post I will share with you certain products and tips that has worked for me when it comes to achieving a good natural hairstyle that last.

HAIR MOUSSE: Hair mousses or the magic foam like I like to call them are the top on my list when it comes to styles that hold. When it comes to natural hair styles the lesser the amount of water content in the product used to style the better. A good quality hair mousse will hold your hair style in place without making your hair hard and ashy looking. This one from Cantu is a really good one and it helps that it is readily available in Nigeria.

TIP: Because of the effect of the holding effect of hair mousses, please make sure to apply a leave in or some form of hair moisturizer prior to applying your hair mousse just so your hair has moisture in it. If you are also struggling with hair dryness a hair mousse may not be for you.

Hair gels are another good way to retain your curls, I really like the aunt jackies' don't shrink gel because they get the job done without making my hair overly hard and unmanageable or sticky, the effect of the gel fades off on its own too and I don't have to re wet my hair just so I can de tangle it and style again. Just like the mousse apply some leave in or moisturizer first. If you are also have really dry hair don't make this a habit. The popular eco styler is also a good alternative.

Curling custards are the next on my list. They are really thick and have little water content and as such help your style come out beautifully while retaining it. Personally' I mostly like using some kind of curling custard or a really thick hair lotion when it comes to styling my hair, It doesn't hold my styles as good as long as a hair mousse or gel would but it does hold and it always leaves my hair moisturized at the end.

Well now your style looks good and can hold better even when in a humid atmosphere but you still have to make sure you cover your hair with a satin bonnet and if for any reason you have to get under the rain always take both your satin bonnet and your shower cap.

Thank you so much for stopping by please leave your comments below, I always respond ASAP.

I am honestly getting so bored of seeing so many people with natural hair out here on these streets with one constant natural hair style which is the high puff.

There are so many other styles you could rock as a naturalista or curly hair girl and one secret most people don't know is that these styles stretch out your hair and separate your coils as well, this prevents more breakage and also stops that top knotting that we 4c girls get a lot. In essence most of these styles actually do your hair more good that harm, as a matter of fact I will advice that you do them more often than you do your high puffs.

So Even if you have really short hair you could still try opting for styles like Jerry coils once in a while, you know just to switch things up.

TWIST OUTS:

The first will be twist outs, weather it is the three strand twist or regular twist outsthey are a good way of styling your hair while stretching it out and preventing top knots as well, therefore reducing breakage.

three strand twist out

Regular twist outs

FLAT TWIST OUTS:

FLAT TWIST OUTS are honestly my favorite when it comes to natural hair styles because to me it stretches out my hair really well and I just get more curls that way with lesser amount of work, also instead of my hair going upwards it settles more downwards after I take my twists out (if that makes any sense).

I especially love the ones with the BANTU KNOT COMBO at the end as seen below, it always comes out really pretty.

BRAID OUTS:

BRAID OUTS are like twist outs but obviously you braid it instead and the curls do come out tighter, it is also a really good way to style your hair, personally I find it to be too much work so I hardly opt for braid outs.

BANTU KNOTS:

The BANTU KNOT OUT is another way to achieve a really beautiful hair style. I love the bantu knot outs because it can be stylish enough to carry out as a bantu knot alone.

and it also comes out beautifully when you loose the knots out as well.

Bantu knot out

HOW TO PRESERVE YOUR PROTECTIVE STYLES

So now you have done that protective style and it is night time and you are wandering how you could preserve your style.

The first way is to just wear your satin bonnet and to just re fluff your hair with your Afro comb when you wake up.

Another way is something called the pineapple method and this is mostly for those who have really full and long hair. Just pineapple your hair like seen below with a satin scarf making sure you cover your back and sides well especially if you aren't sleeping with a satin pillow case.

HOW LONG WILL MY PROTECTIVE STYLE LAST.

These protective styles could last you anywhere from 3 to 6 days depending on the products you used to style them and also the width of the style i. e the smaller your Bantu knot for instance the tighter the curls and you also get more number of curls so it will last you longer.

So today's post was inspired by a recent salon visit I had, I honestly hate going to salons in Nigeria and this is because most of them focus more on the hair styles and not your hair itself. The whole reason I finally decided I was going natural was because I had spent almost a year trying to grow and keep my relaxed hair healthy, it had grown really long and for some reason I was just too tired to relax my hair myself and even though I was scared I still went.

My hair was so damaged that I decided I won't relax it again or at least will never go to a salon to do it.

I hardly do long term protective styles honestly, I mostly really enjoy rocking my natural hair styles but once in a while, especially when I know I may not have the time to properly look after my hair, I do opt for long term protective styles or just wear wigs. I personally am not a huge fan of wigs, I just don't like the idea of someone seeing a hottie in the morning and seeing someone else later on and be shocked, so I rather be the same person all day. That being said wigs are honestly the best way to go when you want to give your hair some rest.

If you are like me however and you like braids and sew in hair extensions, please there are certain steps to take before you go to the salon for that next braid appointment or sew in appointment in Nigeria.

N. B: I ADVICE NOT MAKING THIS A REGULAR THING IF YOU ARE ON A HEALTHY HAIR JOURNEY, HONESTLY I HAVE SALON VISITS LIKE 4 TIMES IN A YEAR, MOSTLY CLOSE TO MY NEXT TEXTURIZER APPLICATION TIME.

PICK WELL: First rule is go to a stylist that listens to you and you feel is easy to talk to.

PLAN AHEAD: keep in mind that the preparation for your salon visit will require some time to make sure everything is in place. I like to plan a week ahead so I am not overwhelmed, so you do not use one day and destroy six months of haircare.

DIY: Do your regular WASH DAYroutine at home, It is honestly never advisable to take your natural hair for washing at most salons, except you are going to salons that specialize in natural hair. Most salons in Nigeria don't have that patience or time to properly treat your hair well to minimize breakage. So make sure you shampoo your hair well firstly, In fact when I know I am going to be braiding or doing a sew in, I pre-poo (even if with a hair oil), shampoo, condition (just to enable me detangle) and then deep condition, basically the whole shebang.

STRETCH OUT: Next will be immediately after deep conditioning and drying your hair damp . You need to start sectioning your "damp" hair in small pieces (use a SPRAY BOTTLE to reapply moisture if it your hair starts drying out), apply a leave in or any moisturizer you have, seal in with an oil and make something that will stretch out your hair. This could be a bantu knot or single braids or twist, just anything that will stretch out your hair. Personally I prefer bantu knots and single braids or flat twists. Please always sleep with a satin bonnet so you don't waste all that moisture. I will advice you give your hair a good two days to completely dry out or dry your hair on cool heat with a blow drier. The goal is to get your hair stretched out and still moisturized in the most healthy way possible.

DOUBLE CHECK: Even after you have adhered to this still take your detangler/leave in to the salon and tell the stylist to use it whenever she gets to sections that feel a little challenging to detangle, (my favorite right now is the tangle and taming leave-in from beautiful textures, it gives my hair so much slip). This is where the first rule comes in handy. Make sure you go to a stylist that actually listens to you and doesn't feel like they know your hair better.

ONE STEP AT A TIME: A good tip is also to tell the stylist to loose only the sections they wanna walk with and leave the rest to avoid shrinkage.

GIVE YOUR HAIR A BREAK: Last but not the least, do not make this a habit, give your hair space to breathe ever so often.

ENJOY

Thank you for reading today's post. Please feel free to ask any questions also you can drop your email so you don't miss out on any blog post.

As we all know Nivea came out with a new lotion which is called even and radiant spf 15 lotion, I am sure most people are wandering if this is better than the natural fairness
or if it just as good but with a different name (we don't want to be out here wasting our coins) and that is exactly why I bought it, out of curiosity.

This lotion cost 1800 Naira at my local beauty supply store. It comes in the same packaging as the natural fairnesslotion but obviously with a different name.

This lotion first of all smells really good, I love how quickly it sinks into the skin. It is really easy to blend and is really moisturizing without leaving any greasiness on the skin.

Just like the other Nivea lotions, I believe the the price range to the size is very reasonable. I also love how very easy it is to find Nivea products in stores.

In conclusion, it is a really good lotion, especially to help you in maintaining your skin tone as it does have spf, I would say though that if you are looking for a toning lotion this isn't for you, but say at night you use some exfoliant or toner, you could use this during the day just to protect your skin from the harmful effect of the sun rays and also help in evening out your skin.

I give this a 4 star

In comparison with the Nivea natural fairness lotion

They both have sun protection, the only thing is that I believe that the spf in the even and radiant lotion is more because they actually went ahead to state the exact amount of spf contained in the product (spf 15), unlike the natural fairness where they just stated that it has uva/uvb sun protection.

They kind of smell similar but the even and radiant smells a little more fruity and sweeter(if that makes any sense).

The even and radiant is more expensive than the natural fairness by I believe 300-500 Naira depending on where you buy yours from.

Honestly to me it feels very similar to the natural fairness but I guess that if you have extra cash to spare there is no harm in buying this hence it has a larger amount of spf in it.

Basically if you are like me and loved the Nivea natural fairness you will love this product a lot.

As always I do not apply my body lotions on my face as I do have very sensitive skin and easily break out.

Thank you so much for reading today's' blog post, please leave comments and ask questions, I do respond as quickly as I can.

Welcome to another blog post, a big question I often get is what I will say are must have curly hair tools or products, for products it is easy I always say conditioner, but I decided to make this post just to share a few hair tools that I can literally not do without and I really believe every curly girl should always have.

Satin bonnets and pillowcases are my number one, sometimes even when I am not sleeping most especially when the weather is harsh like the Harmattan season, I often wear this just to help trap in the moisture in my hair and keep it locked in, this is basically the work of a satin bonnet and or pillowcase, it makes sure all that moisture u just applied doesn't go to waste, it basically locks in that moisture and prevents frizz. I can tell the difference between when I apply a leave in or moisturizer to my hair and cover with a bonnet and when I don't, my hair just looks richly moisturized and just yummy. So number one on my list is a satin bonnet or pillowcase or both.

The second on my list will have to be a wide toothed comb, please if you have hair weather it is relaxed or natural or whatever get a wide toothed comb, this cost like 150 Naira there about. Whenever you want to detangle your hair with any comb, the first comb to go in with is a wide toothed comb just to minimize breakage as much as possible.

N. B: Always detangle your hair from ends to root and never from root to ends, also avoid always making it a habit to comb your hair when it is completely dry.

The next tool on my list will have to be a spray bottle, one of the longest days being natural or curly is wash days, getting a spray bottle will honestly be like the best thing you have ever done while you are natural. I cannot even begin to tell you how much stress having a spray bottle lifts from me, it helps whenever I want to style my hair but don't want the stress of going under the tap to wet my hair in other to make it more pliable. Whenever I just want to do anything that requires me wetting my hair and it isn't officially wash day, I use this. Please follow me on ig @prettymundne I am going to start posting clips on my styling and hair care routine and how these tools actually work for me and why they are a must for every curly girl

Butterfly hair clips or just hair clips in general are the next on my list, honestly when I used to watch natural or curly hair videos on You tube, I didn't understand the importance of many of these tools and hair clips are one of those things. They help on wash days especially when your hair is on the longer side, it generally just makes it easier for you to work in sections without being disturbed by other strands of hair. Hair clips also help in reducing breakage.

This one I feel is very self explanatory, it is exactly what it is, it is a container where you put oils in and apply to your hair. This is not a do or die affair when it comes to hair tools, but if you are someone who does hot oil treatments or you are like me who likes to have her own oil mix, this is perfect for you, it just allows for easy despensing.

This is what we like to call the afro comb, I just like to use this just after I use the wide toothed comb, just to ensure i properly detangled my hair, this is also the most effective way to fluff out your hair to give it more volume during styling.

While you could easily use a nylon bag to do the job of a shower cap, a shower cap is just a really convenient way to deep condition your hair and no matter where you are in your natural hair jouney deep conditioning is a must, I do recommend to deep condition atleast once a week, I have been slacking in that aspect as well but I should resume doing that again soon and just in case you are curious my favorite deep conditioner is the aunt jackies' in control texture softner, it is indeed amazing, it softens and detangles my hair like no other.

N.B: A shower cap cannot replace a satin bonnet and vice versa.

Thank you for reading, feel free to drop your questions, I always reply as soon as I can.